Animal Extinction Essay Example for Free

Animal Extinction Essay Animal Extinction the greatest threat to mankind In the final stages of dehydration the body shrinks, robbing youth from the young as the skin puckers, eyes recede into orbits, and the tongue swells and cracks. Brain cells shrivel and muscles seize. The kidneys shut down. Blood volume drops, triggering hypovolemic shock, with its attendant respiratory and cardiac failures. These combined assaults disrupt the chemical and electrical pathways of the body until all systems cascade toward death. Such is also the path of a dying species. Beyond a critical point, the collective body of a unique kind of mammal or bird or amphibian or tree cannot be salvaged, no matter the first aid rendered. Too few individuals spread too far apart, or too genetically weakened, are susceptible to even small natural disasters: a passing thunderstorm; an unexpected freeze; drought. At fewer than 50 members, populations experience increasingly random fluctuations until a kind of fatal arrhythmia takes hold. Eventually, an entire genetic legacy, born in the beginnings of life on earth, is removed from the future. Scientists recognise that species continually disappear at a background extinction rate estimated at about one species per million per year, with new species replacing the lost in a sustainable fashion. Occasional mass extinctions convulse this orderly norm, followed by excruciatingly slow recoveries as new species emerge from the remaining gene-pool, until the world is once again repopulated by a different catalogue of flora and fauna. From what we understand so far, five great extinction events have reshaped earth in cataclysmic ways in the past 439 million years, each one wiping out between 50 and 95 per cent of the life of the day, including the dominant life forms; the most recent event killing off the non-avian dinosaurs. Speciations followed, but an analysis published in Nature showed that it takes 10 million years before biological diversity even begins to approach what existed before a die-off. Today were living through the sixth great extinction, sometimes known as the Holocene extinction event. We carried its seeds with us 50,000 years ago as we migrated beyond Africa with Stone Age blades, darts, and harpoons, entering pristine Ice Age ecosystems and changing them forever by wiping out at least some of the unique megafauna of the times, including, perhaps, the sabre-toothed cats and woolly mammoths. When the ice retreated, we terminated the long and biologically rich epoch sometimes called the Edenic period with assaults from our newest weapons: hoes, scythes, cattle, goats, and pigs. But, as harmful as our forebears may have been, nothing compares to whats under way today. Throughout the 20th century the causes of extinction habitat degradation, overexploitation, agricultural monocultures, human-borne invasive species, human-induced climate-change increased exponentially, until now in the 21st century the rate is nothing short of explosive. The World Conservation Unions Red List a database measuring the global status of Earths 1. million scientifically named species tells a haunting tale of unchecked, unaddressed, and accelerating biocide. When we hear of extinction, most of us think of the plight of the rhino, tiger, panda or blue whale. But these sad sagas are only small pieces of the extinction puzzle. The overall numbers are terrifying. Of the 40,168 species that the 10,000 scientists in the World Conservation Union have assessed, one in four mammals, one in eight birds, one in three amphibians, one in three conifers and other gymnosperms are at risk of e xtinction. The peril faced by other classes of organisms is less thoroughly analysed, but fully 40 per cent of the examined species of planet earth are in danger, including perhaps 51 per cent of reptiles, 52 per cent of insects, and 73 per cent of flowering plants. By the most conservative measure based on the last centurys recorded extinctions the current rate of extinction is 100 times the background rate. But the eminent Harvard biologist Edward O Wilson, and other scientists, estimate that the true rate is more like 1,000 to 10,000 times the background rate. The actual annual sum is only an educated guess, because no scientist believes that the tally of life ends at the 1. 5 million species already discovered; estimates range as high as 100 million species on earth, with 10 million as the median guess. Bracketed between best- and worst-case scenarios, then, somewhere between 2. 7 and 270 species are erased from existence every day. Including today. We now understand that the majority of life on Earth has never been and will never be known to us. In a staggering forecast, Wilson predicts that our present course will lead to the extinction of half of all plant and animal species by 2100. You probably had no idea. Few do. A poll by the American Museum of Natural History finds that seven in 10 biologists believe that mass extinction poses a colossal threat to human existence, a more serious environmental problem than even its contributor, global warming; and that the dangers of mass extinction are woefully underestimated by almost everyone outside science. In the 200 years since French naturalist Georges Cuvier first floated the concept of extinction, after examining fossil bones and concluding the existence of a world previous to ours, destroyed by some sort of catastrophe, we have only slowly recognised and attempted to correct our own catastrophic behaviour. Some nations move more slowly than others. In 1992, an international summit produced a treaty called the Convention on Biological Diversity that was subsequently ratified by 190 nations all except the unlikely coalition of the United States, Iraq, the Vatican, Somalia, Andorra and Brunei. The European Union later called on the world to arrest the decline of species and ecosystems by 2010. Last year, worried biodiversity experts called for the establishment of a scientific body akin to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to provide a united voice on the extinction crisis and urge governments to action. Yet, despite these efforts, the Red List, updated every two years, continues to show metastatic growth. There are a few heartening examples of so-called Lazarus species lost and then found: the wollemi pine and the mahogany lider in Australia, the Jerdons courser in India, the takahe in New Zealand, and, maybe, the ivory-billed woodpecker in the United States. But for virtually all others, the Red List is a dry country with little hope of rain, as species ratchet down the listings from secure to vulnerable, to endangered, to critically endangered, to extinct. All these disappearing species are part of a fragile membrane of organisms wrapped around the Earth so thinly, writes Wilson, that it cannot be seen edgewise from a space shuttle, yet so internally complex that most species composing it remain undiscovered. We owe everything to this membrane of life. Literally everything. The air we breathe. The food we eat. The materials of our homes, clothes, books, computers, medicines. Goods and services that we cant even imagine well someday need will come from species we have yet to identify. The proverbial cure for cancer. The genetic fountain of youth. Immortality. Mortality. The living membrane we so recklessly destroy is existence itself. Biodiversity is defined as the sum of an areas genes (the building blocks of inheritance), species (organisms that can interbreed), and ecosystems (amalgamations of species in their geological and chemical landscapes). The richer an areas biodiversity, the tougher its immune system, since biodiversity includes not only the number of species but also the number of individuals within that species, and all the inherent genetic variations lifes only army against the diseases of oblivion. Yet its a mistake to think that critical genetic pools exist only in the gaudy show of the coral reefs, or the cacophony of the rainforest. Although a hallmark of the desert is the sparseness of its garden, the orderly progression of plants and the understated camouflage of its animals, this is only an illusion. Turn the desert inside out and upside down and youll discover its true nature. Escaping drought and heat, life goes underground in a tangled overexuberance of roots and burrows reminiscent of a rainforest canopy, competing for moisture, not light. Animal trails criss-cross this subterranean realm in private burrows engineered, inhabited, stolen, shared and fought over by ants, beetles, wasps, cicadas, tarantulas, spiders, lizards, snakes, mice, squirrels, rats, foxes, tortoises, badgers and coyotes. To survive the heat and drought, desert life pioneers ingenious solutions. Coyotes dig and maintain wells in arroyos, probing deep for water. White-winged doves use their bodies as canteens, drinking enough when the opportunity arises to increase their bodyweight by more than 15 per cent. Black-tailed jack rabbits tolerate internal temperatures of 111F. Western box turtles store water in their oversized bladders and urinate on themselves to stay cool. Mesquite grows taproots more than 160ft deep in search of moisture. These life-forms and their life strategies compose what we might think of as the body of the desert, with some species the lungs and others the liver, the blood, the skin. The trend in scientific investigation in recent decades has been toward understanding the interconnectedness of the bodily components, i. e. the effect one species has on the others. The loss of even one species irrevocably changes the desert (or the tundra, rainforest, prairie, coastal estuary, coral reef, and so on) as we know it, just as the loss of each human being changes his or her family forever. Nowhere is this better proven than in a 12-year study conducted in the Chihuahuan desert by James H Brown and Edward Heske of the University of New Mexico. When a kangaroo-rat guild composed of three closely related species was removed, shrublands quickly converted to grasslands, which supported fewer annual plants, which in turn supported fewer birds. Even humble players mediate stability. So when you and I hear of this years extinction of the Yangtze river dolphin, and think, how sad, were not calculating the deepest cost: that extinctions lead to co-extinctions because most living things on Earth support a few symbionts, while keystone species influence and support myriad plants and animals. Army ants, for example, are known to support 100 known species, from beetles to birds. One of the most alarming developments is the rapid decline not just of species but of higher taxa, such as the class Amphibia, the 00-million-year-old group of frogs, salamanders, newts and toads hardy enough to have preceded and then outlived most dinosaurs. Biologists first noticed die-offs two decades ago, and, since then, have watched as seemingly robust amphibian species vanished in as little as six months. The causes cover the spectrum of human environmental assaults, including rising ultraviolet radiation from a thinning ozone layer, increases in po llutants and pesticides, habitat loss from agriculture and urbanisation, invasions of exotic species, the wildlife trade, light pollution, and fungal diseases. Sometimes stressors merge to form an unwholesome synergy; an African frog brought to the West in the 1950s for use in human pregnancy tests likely introduced a fungus deadly to native frogs. Meanwhile, a recent analysis in Nature estimated that, in the past 20 years, at least 70 species of South American frogs had gone extinct as a result of climate change. In a 2004 analysis published in Science, Lian Pin Koh and his colleagues predict that an initially modest co-extinction rate will climb alarmingly as host extinctions rise in the near future. Graphed out, the forecast mirrors the rising curve of an infectious disease, with the human species acting all the parts: the pathogen, the vector, the Typhoid Mary who refuses culpability, and, ultimately, one of up to 100 million victims. Rewilding is bigger, broader, and bolder than humans have thought before. Many conservation biologists believe its our best hope for arresting the sixth great extinction. Wilson calls it mainstream conservation writ large for future generations. This is because more of what weve done until now protecting pretty landscapes, attempts at sustainable development, community-based conservation and ecosystem management will not preserve biodiversity through the critical next century. By then, half of all species will be lost, by Wilsons calculation. To save Earths living membrane, we must put its shattered pieces back together. Only megapreserves modelled on a deep scientific understanding of continent-wide ecosystem needs hold that promise. What I have been preparing to say is this, wrote Thoreau more than 150 years ago. In wildness is the preservation of the world. This, science finally understands. The Wildlands Project, the conservation group spearheading the drive to rewild North America by reconnecting remaining wildernesses (parks, refuges, national forests, and local land trust holdings) through corridors calls for reconnecting wild North America in four broad megalinkages: along the Rocky Mountain spine of the contine nt from Alaska to Mexico; across the arctic/boreal from Alaska to Labrador; along the Atlantic via the Appalachians; and along the Pacific via the Sierra Nevada into the Baja peninsula. Within each megalinkage, core protected areas would be connected by mosaics of public and private lands providing safe passage for wildlife to travel freely. Broad, vegetated overpasses would link wilderness areas split by roads. Private landowners would be enticed to either donate land or adopt policies of good stewardship along critical pathways. Its a radical vision, one the Wildlands Project expects will take 100 years or more to complete, and one that has won the project a special enmity from those who view environmentalists with suspicion. Yet the core brainchild of the Wildlands Project that true conservation must happen on an ecosystem-wide scale is now widely accepted. Many conservation organisations are already collaborating on the project, including international players such as Naturalia in Mexico, US national heavyweights like Defenders of Wildlife, and regional experts from the Southern Rockies Ecosystem Project to the Grand Canyon Wildlands Council. Kim Vacariu, the South-west director of the USs Wildlands Project, reports that ranchers are coming round, one town meeting at a time, and that there is interest, if not yet support, from the insurance industry and others who face the reality of car-wildlife collisions daily. At its heart, rewilding is based on living with the monster under the bed, since the big, scary animals that frightened us in childhood, and still do, are the fierce guardians of biodiversity. Without wolves, wolverines, grizzlies, black bears, mountain lions and jaguars, wild populations shift toward the herbivores, who proceed to eat plants into extinction, taking birds, bees, reptiles, amphibians and rodents with them. A tenet of ecology states that the world is green because carnivores eat herbivores. Yet the big carnivores continue to die out because we fear and hunt them and because they need more room than we preserve and connect. Male wolverines, for instance, can possess home ranges of 600 sq m. Translated, Greater London would have room for only one. The first campaign out of the Wildlands Projects starting gate is the spine of the continent, along the mountains from Alaska to Mexico, today fractured by roads, logging, oil and gas development, grazing, ski resorts, motorised back-country recreation and sprawl. The spine already contains dozens of core wildlands, including wilderness areas, national parks, national monuments, wildlife refuges, and private holdings. On the map, these scattered fragments look like debris falls from meteorite strikes. Some are already partially buffered by surrounding protected areas such as national forests. But all need interconnecting linkages across public and private lands farms, ranches, suburbia to facilitate the travels of big carnivores and the net of biodiversity that they tow behind them. The Wildlands Project has also identified the five most critically endangered wildlife linkages along the spine, each associated with a keystone species. Grizzlies already pinched at Crowsnest Pass on Highway Three, between Alberta and British Columbia, will be entirely cut off from the bigger gene pool to the north if a larger road is built. Greater sage grouse, Canada lynx, black bears and jaguars face their own lethal obstacles further south. But by far the most endangered wildlife-linkage is the borderland between the US and Mexico. The Sky Islands straddle this boundary, and some of North Americas most threatened wildlife jaguars, bison, Sonoran pronghorn, Mexican wolves cross, or need to cross, here in the course of their lifes travels. Unfortunately for wildlife, Mexican workers cross here too. Men, women, and children, running at night, one-gallon water jugs in hand. The problem for wildlife is not so much the intrusions of illegal Mexican workers but the 700-mile border fence proposed to keep them out. From an ecological perspective, it will sever the spine at the lumbar, paralysing the lower continent. Here, in a nutshell, is all thats wrong with our treatment of nature. Amid all the moral, practical, and legal issues with the border fence, the biological catastrophe has barely been noted. Its as if extinction is not contagious and we wont catch it. If, as some indigenous people believe, the jaguar was sent to the world to test the will and integrity of human beings, then surely we need to reassess. Border fences have terrible consequences. One between India and Pakistan forces starving bears and leopards, which can no longer traverse their feeding territories, to attack villagers. The truth is that wilderness is more dangerous to us caged than free and has far more value to us wild than consumed. Wilson suggests the time has come to rename the environmentalist view the real-world view, and to replace the gross national product with the more comprehensive genuine progress indicator, which estimates the true environmental costs of farming, fishing, grazing, mining, smelting, driving, flying, building, paving, computing, medicating and so on. Until then, its like keeping a ledger recording income but not expenses. Like us, the Earth has a finite budget.

Self Reflection Analysis In The Social Work Sector Social Work Essay

Self Reflection Analysis In The Social Work Sector Social Work Essay Social work practice can be seen as a very complex process as it seeks to promote social change, social justice, equality, anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive practices and also social inclusion. It is therefore significant that as social workers, we reflect and evaluate our practice in order that the values we stand for are promoted and adhered to. Reflective practice is therefore a way of making social work professionals more accountable through an ongoing scrutiny of the principles upon which the profession is based (Fook, 2002). However, Ixer (1999) criticizes that reflective practice has simply become uncritical and orthodox mainly because it can be applied in many ways and across many professions. None the less, Donald Schà ¶n (1983) a key theorist of reflective practice, saw reflective practice as a way forward for professionals to bridge the gap between the theoretical and practical aspect of their work by unearthing the actual theory which is embedded in what they do, r ather than what they say they do. He made it clear that by being reflect practitioner, one is aware of the theories or assumptions underlining your practice and what actions to take in improving your practice or providing better services for the service user. To me reflective practice is therefore like a looking glass or mirror where you as a practitioner have the opportunity to correct or redirect your course of action. For the purpose of this assignment, I am going to use a case study from my previous practice placement to illustrate my reflection and evaluation of my own practice, how the use of self, my beliefs and values might have influenced my actions, how I have developed new meaning and understanding through peer supervision/feedback and the unit lectures and how theories underpinning reflective practice may help in improving my practice as a social worker. Case study I e-mailed the learning mentor at N. Middle School concerning a boy named J (for confidentiality purposes). A 12-year old, of White- British background, who was referred to my previous placement agency for having behavioural problems (such as fighting with his peers, being disruptive during lessons, disrespecting his teacher and general misconduct) at school. J from an early age of about 6 had witnessed Domestic Violence in his family. My concern was that J had revealed very confidential information to me regarding his mum and her ex-boyfriend (his mums ex-boyfriend was violent toward his mum and he witness it as well). J was worried that this might happen again since his mums ex-boyfriend was back into his mums life and sleeps over sometimes at the family home. I informed the school about this revelation since it was a school referral and also because J had mentioned that any time his mums ex sleeps over it affects him and his behaviour at school becomes disruptive due to the worrie s he has. When I passed this information to the school authorities, the school also informed Js mum about it which I felt was not appropriate due to the fact that Js mum had been very wary as to what information or issues J would reveal to professionals. In my email I also pointed out the fact that the trust and confidence J had towards me could be undermined since his mum got informed about this although it was suppose to be confidential among professionals. Reflection and Evaluation of my practice In this case study, I felt that the school authorities should have acted more professionally. They should have contacted me first before informing Js mum but this was not the case. I only got to know that they had informed Js mum when she asked me questions or tried to clarify the issues that J had revealed to me. Although, this situation didnt mar my professional relationship with the school authorities at the time, it has made me wary of how much information I can share with other professionals and how that particular information should be treated (if very confidential). I felt that I had eroded the trust and confidence between J and I because his mum got to know about what J had revealed to me although he did not want her knowing. Order to maintain the trust and confidence we had, I should have sought Js consent first. Also the school should have contacted me first before informing Js mum so that my trust and confidence in the school could be maintained as well. I also felt that this broken trust and confidence might extend to other professions who might be working with J in future. This experience could therefore distance J from other professionals (including myself). He might view all professionals as untrustworthy and as enemies rather helpers. This therefore meant that I did uphold public trust and confidence in social care services as enshrined in the code of practice for social workers (TOPPS, 2004) I felt that J was very opened and honest to me. He had trust and confidence in me as well. I listened to him as a friend in a professional capacity which I feel he needed. However, I felt I let him down in this situation because he was not made aware that his mum would be informed (issue of consent). This issue of confidentiality posed as a big ethical dilemma for me, in that I questioned myself whether it was right for the school to have informed Js mum about his revelation? Have I broken Js trust and confidence by informing the school about this? And am I right to question the school authorities why they shared the information with Js mum even though the referral was made by the school. These were ethical dilemmas I was faced with before emailing the Learning mentor. I was therefore aware of these ethical dilemmas and conflict of interest and the implication to my practice (social work value A). However, not sharing the information could also mean that I would be held responsible for my actions if something went wrong. Furthermore, I felt this could have been an issue of potential discrimination, in that the school had overlooked the effect on J, and also the relationship between mother and son, this could have potentially estranged Js relationship with his mum, the school and even me. If this happened, he would be reluctant in dealing with professionals and this may pose as a barrier to him accessing the needed support he may require. Theories used in case study In this case study, the gathering and use of information was the main focus. Establishing service user confidentiality is as important as providing the need/service for him/her. However, though the issue of confidentiality is usually negotiated and established during the agreement meeting with the service user, there are lots of ethical dilemmas surrounding this (as to whom you can share the information with and how much of that information can be shared. Seden (2005) mentioned clearly that in working with Children services it is particularly difficult to have total confidentiality because a child may reveal something or an issue in confidence which may be a child protection issue. And as a professional you would have to share this information with others so that prompt action can be taken. It highlights the fact that in child protection issues, safeguarding and promoting the childs welfare is paramount (Children Act 1989) rather than confidentiality. Yet the Data protection Act 1998 and my previous placement agencys policy on confidentiality also informed me of my practice. In accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998, it entreats all agencies that have access to peoples personal information to keep it safe and must only use the information solely for the purpose for which the information was sought. It also means that if personal information about people fall into the wrong hands it can be used maliciously and our right to private and family life (Human Rights Act 1998) could be contravened. Personal data can further be use to enforce discriminatory and oppressive practice by using it to categorise people in terms of service delivery. Another important theory in this case study was multi-disciplinary and multi-agency working. The Working together document (DOH, 2006) highlights the importance of multidisciplinary and inter agency working in children work force. This document was put together by Department Of Health, Department for Education and Employment and the Home Office. It serves as a guide to inter-agency working to safeguard and promote the welfare of children as well. In my first placement setting, it was good practice to liaise with the lead professional/organisation that carried out the assessment and referred the case to my agency. All relevant information and process of the intervention were shared with the other agencies involved. In this way I was working according to my agency policy of liaising with other agencies, following the legal requirement of the working together document and meeting unit 17 of the National Occupational Standards (TOPPS 2004). In doing so I was able to communicate effective ly with other professionals and this also facilitated information sharing between professionals. Theories of Reflection Using the case study as a reference point, I realised that most of the reflection I did took place after the event. This is what Schà ¶n (1998) referred to as reflection-on-action. According to Schà ¶n (1998), reflection-on-action therefore means that as a professional, I only sit back after I have undertaken the intervention to think about what I did, how I did and whether there were any ethical considerations I took for granted. In doing so I am able to analyse and critical evaluate my actions and practice and improve on my shortcoming. For example, in the case study scenario, I realised that the trust and confidence J had in me was eroded once his mum was informed about his revelation to me. Had I reflected before the event or during my meeting with J (reflection-in-action), I would have made him aware that his mum would hear about it and hence J and I could have come to an amicable agreement as to how to inform his mum. This might have provided a more positive outcome rather th an the presented outcome in the case study. This same model of reflection-on-action can be related to Gibbs model of reflection. In Gibbs (1988) model, he identified six key stages of reflection; Stage 1: Description of the event A detailed description of the event you are reflecting on. Stage 2: Feelings and Thoughts (Self awareness) Recalling and exploring those things that were going on inside your head. Stage 3: Evaluation- making a judgment about what has happened. Consider what was good about the experience and what was bad about the experience or what did or didnt go so well Stage 4: Analysis- Breaking the event down into its component parts so they can be explored separately. Stage 5: Conclusion (Synthesis) -Here you have explored the issue from different angles and have a lot of information to base your judgement. It is here that you are likely to develop insight into you own and other peoples behaviour in terms of how they contributed to the outcome of the event. The purpose of reflection at this stage is to learn from the experience. Stage 6: Action Plan-During this stage you should think forward into encountering the event again and to plan what you would do would you act differently or would you likely to do the same? These six stages of Gibbs model serve as aiding tools to help professionals critically reflect on their experiences. For instance, through detail description in my case study I am able reflect on my feelings and thoughts towards the school authorities and how my actions may have affected the welfare of J. I have also been able to identify that I did not promote the social work code of practice (upholding public trust and confidence in social services). When faced with a similar situation like this in future or in practice, I believe I would think critically and reflect critically before passing information to other professionals with the view that the information will be used solely for the intended purpose. However, another reflective model is that developed by David Kolb (1984) on experiential learning. Kolb (1984) created his famous model out of four elements: concrete experience, observation and reflection, the formation of abstract concepts and testing in new situations. These entire four elements are connected in a circular way. Kolb (1984) argued that the experiential learning cycle can begin at any one of the four points and that it should really be consider as a continuous and unending process. Meaning, the learning process often begins with a person carrying out a particular action and then seeing the effect of the action in the given event or intervention. Following this, the second stage is reached in which the professional/learner understands these effects in the event or intervention so that if the same action was taken in the same circumstances it would be possible to anticipate what would follow from the action. With this understanding, the third stage is to understand th e general principle under which the particular instance happens. Generalising may involve actions over a range of situations/events for the professional or learner to gain experience beyond the particular instance and suggest the general principle. Understanding the general principle does not imply, in this sequence, an ability to express the principle in a symbolic medium but rather implies only the ability to see a connection between the actions and effects over a range of circumstances. When the general principle is understood, the last stage is the application through action in a new circumstance within the range of generalisations. Thus the action is taking place in a different set of circumstances and the learner is now able to anticipate the possible effects of the action. Two aspects can be seen as especially noteworthy: the use of concrete, here-and-now experience to test ideas; and use of feedback to change practices and theories (Kolb 1984: 21-22). Relating Kolb model to my case study, I felt that by emailing my concerns to the school mentor about how the information was treated seemed a more professional way of dealing with the issue. As the school authorities later apologised to me about their actions. I do believe that if I am faced with a similar situation with other professionals I would elegantly challenge their actions in a similar manner as I have done before and if it works I might generalise that this approach works well. This would therefore give me new meaning and a new perspective as to how to work with other professional collaborative in achieving the desired outcomes for service users. Feedback from my peers. During the learning sets meetings, I presented his case study to my peers and one the learning points from them was that I had assumed that the school authorities would not inform Js mum about the revelation and because of that I hadnt insisted on them keeping the information as confidential as possible until such a time when consent had been sought from J. I in my view this is what Brookfield (1988) called assumption analysis in critical reflection. To him, Assumption analysis describes the activity adults engage in to bring to awareness beliefs, values, cultural practices, and social structures regulating behaviour and to assess their impact on our dad to day activities. Assumptions may therefore be paradigmatic, prescriptive, or causal (Brookfield 1995). He stresses that assumptions structure our way of seeing reality, govern our behavior, and describe how relationships should be ordered. Assumption analysis as a first step in the critical reflection process makes explicit our tak enà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœforà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœgranted notions of reality. Members of the learning set also raised my awareness to the fact that the underlying assumption I had about the case could possibly being derived from my own beliefs, value base, cultural and social background, agency policies, my gender and race. Brookfield (1995) highlighted this by noting that a contextual awareness is achieved when adult learners come to realise that their assumptions are socially and personally created in a specific historical and cultural context. I should therefore have been self aware of the influences my personal, cultural and social (Thompson, 2006) may have had in the given case study. Also, the learning sets helped me to unearthing or understand more about the power imbalances that exist between service users and professionals. One of my group members made it clear that possibly the school authorities acted the way they did because they had the power to do so and as a way of proving to his mum that the boys problem was generated from home rather at school because the mum blames the school authorities constantly for her sons behaviour. According to Mandell (2008), power affects the experience and behaviour of both the practitioner and service user and so the practitioner needs to ask, or be asked, where does power lie in his/her relationship, how does it operate and who is defining the character and direction of whats taking place. Therefore, to be a critical reflective practitioner I need to acknowledge the power imbalances in my practice before making decisions or embarking on a course of action. Its also important for me to consider all the angles and checks out all the details before taking the plunge (Payne, 2002, p124) so that a more opened, honest, fair, just, anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive practice can be achieved in my service delivery. The case study analysis with my peers provided me yet with another very important learning point. Thus, in sharing the information with the school authorities, I was focusing more on the theory (the Every Child Matters and working together agenda) for off the peg solution (Thompson, 2005, p146) or what Schà ¶n (1998) calls technical rationality, the belief that well developed theory can provide solutions for professionals. Rather, I should have used both my theoretical background and past experiences to help inform me of my practice. This would have had a more balancing effect or less impact on J. With this now, I am confident that my decisions and actions in future placements would be drawn from my theoretical or formal knowledge and that of my past experiences or informal knowledge. Conclusion Summing up, I feel that this unit has provided me with greater insight about how my actions or decisions are influenced by my belief system, culture, values, gender, religion, assumptions, political and social orientation. It have also learnt that drawing from the views of others, I would be able to see the issue or problem from a different perspective and this might help me develop a new meaning of the event. Mezirow (2000) called the process of developing this new meaning of the event as perspective transformation. I now also understand that as a social worker, t would have draw on knowledge from all sources (theoretical and non-theoretical) in order to address the messy complexities of real-life situations and to consider each individual situation or event unique (Yelloly Henkel, 1995). Therefore, the way forward for me as a social worker is to critical reflect on the use of self, the awareness of power imbalances (deconstruction) and the development of new meaning/ perspective( re-construction) illustrated by Howe (2008).

Analysis Of Brave New World English Literature Essay

Analysis Of Brave New World English Literature Essay Imagine a futuristic society where natural birth is obsolete and children are decanted from test tubes. A society based on a prejudiced and strict caste system: where Alphas rule and Epsilons are purposely given alcohol during their gestation period to inhibit their growth and intelligence. Where sexual promiscuity is accepted and encouraged, while those who practice monogamy and have deeps feelings for only one individual are ostracized. As Lenina aptly summarizes, everybody belongs to every one else and no one belongs to themselves (Huxley, 121). This horrifying dystopia is the setting of Aldous Huxleys new age novel, Brave New World, where the main protagonists, Bernard Marx and John the Savage, defy social norm for a chance of freedom. Published in 1932, Huxleys novel satirizes issues not only present in the 30s but in todays modern society as well. Inequality among people and technologys hold on the masses are brought to light within the novel. However comical some sections seem to be at first, Huxleys original purpose was to draw light in how easy governments could control their the masses through psychological means while the public themselves are left ignorant or fully accept it just as in Brave New World. Although the people of this controlled society seem genuinely content with their lives, its due more to their ignorance and their soma than true happiness. Throughout the novel, Brave New World, the unifying idea that truth and happiness cannot coexists is prevalent; in order to achieve one, the other must be sacrificed. SCHOLARLY ARTICLE A critical look into the eyes of a critic can give in-depth analysis on a topic for which a reader might overlook. An article in Aldous Huxleys web site gives a very comprehensive investigation on Brave New World that breaks down and guesstimates the purpose of soma and its functionality. As the critic states, Huxley was writing a satirical piece of fiction, not scientific prophecy. Soma, viewed from scientific reality could be possible, but mostly have dangerous side effects and most unlikely to be approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). It is something akin to drugs or alcohol, without the unfavorable side-effects. However, according to the article, taken in excess, soma acts as a respiratory depressant making more of an opiate than a sort of clinically valuable mood-brightener. It is what separates false happiness from the harsh realities the infantile people of Huxleys dystopia are not accustomed to. The basis of the government depicted in Brave New World is centered around control and manipulation, making soma a very useful tool in silencing rebellious thoughts by placating the minds of the public. On the other hand, those who do not find happiness are exiled into secluded islands where they cannot disrupt or infect the minds of others. This in itself gives proof that soma is not all effective to all populations, all the time. People like Bernard, though feels the instant gratification that soma brings, finds he cannot keep it as others could. The article gives a very insightful look into the mystery drug and debunks any misconception that could arise from lack of understanding within the novel. STYLE THEME The weapon of choice for the World Controllers is not nuclear bombs nor weaponry, but an artificial drug, soma. Instilling fear and intimidation could only go so far and may cause resentment and dangerous thoughts of rebellion in the oppressed. However, subconscious conditioning and mind-altering drugs could produce the same effects, without the dangerous thoughts. In addition to genetic engineering, the soma drug is perhaps the most powerful weapon the World Controllers have in their arsenal. With these two, any problems before Ford have been permanently eradicated from the minds of the everyday people. In the name of stability and happiness, as Mustapha Mond, one of Huxleys World Controllers states, the freedom of truth is sacrificed (Huxley, 225). Almost all of Huxleys characters, with the exception of the main protagonists Bernard and John, are content with having their soma, vicariously living through feelies, and living their mundane and ignorant lives never wanting more than what is given to them. Mond erroneously associates the lack of pain with genuine happiness. It seems only John the Savage understands that true joy is a result of knowing ones own self-worth and finding inner-satisfaction. John was filled with an intense, absorbing happiness after investing hard work into a clay sculpture he made with his own hands (Huxley, 134). He alone out of everyone else in civilized Britain could give testimony to feeling true happiness, and not the artificial one induced by the soma drug, because he is the only one who worked hard because he wanted to, and not because he was condit ioned to do so. POEM The concept of a futuristic dystopian society is popular through many works of prose. For example, Philena Pughs poem Fragments for the Gates of Times Square: the Fear of Neon, deals with a character who perceives himself to be the last of his kind. This mirrors Huxleys own character, John as well as drawing other parallels. Silence lies underneath the crackle and hum of the neon lights. The puddle near my feet glistens crimson reflecting the words Restaurant and Lounge. A tribute to our pick up/take out society. Above buildings crowd out the sky leaving a jailcell window  to see the stars through. My footsteps echo throughout the world and I realize that I am the last. My breathing grows labored- sending out a sharp, rasping sound to compete with the sputter-buzz conversation on the neon. My dim, twilight eyes srift shut and my final breath gurgles the dark phlegm of fear  in the back of my throat. With the hollow thump  of cranium meeting pavement, humanity is gone. And the neon lights burn brightly into eternity- crackling in time  to the winking stars. The narrator of Pughs poem and Huxleys John find themselves the last of their kind, with the narrator the last human, while John is the only one naturally conceived with civilized parents. They both find great tragedy in the world around them, feeling trapped and alone by what society becomes in their respective worlds. The two works of prose focuses on the struggle between man and the society he is a part of and their failure to adapt or to conform leads to their demise. Driven to madness by the horror of moral-less society around him, John cried out to God and covered his eyes with his hands (Huxley, 259), drawing parallelism, the narrator of the poem is met with the same fate with the hollow thump of cranium meeting pavement, humanity is gone(Pugh). The setting of both works is in a dystopia that puts an emphasis on the consumption of goods verses the freedom of nature. Juxtaposing Pughs society in which buildings crowd out the sky leaving a jailcell window to see the stars with t he buildings themselves are made as a tribute to [their] pick up/take out society, and Huxleys World-Controlled civilized society condition the masses to hate the country but at the same time, condition them to love country sports; one can see the similarities between the two dystopian societies. (Huxley, 23). These works built a society that ensures the consumption of goods and/or transportation and the technology that drives it.

Analysis of Langston Hughes Harlem (Dream Deferred) :: Hughes Harlem Dream Deferred Essays

Analysis of Harlem (Dream Deferred) Langston Hughes's poem "Dream Deferred" is basically about what happens to dreams when they are put on hold. Hughes probably intended for the poem to focus on the dreams of African-Americans in particular because he originally entitled the poem "Harlem," which is the capital of African American life in the United States; however, it is just as easy to read the poem as being about dreams in general and what happens when people postpone making them come true. Ultimately, Hughes uses a carefully arranged series of images that also function as figures of speech to suggest that people should not delay their dreams because the more they postpone them, the more the dreams will change and the less likely they will come true. In the opening of the poem the speaker uses a visual image that is also a simile to compare a dream deferred to a raisin. The speaker asks the question, "Does it [the dream] dry up / Like a raisin in the sun?" (2-3). Here we can see the raisin, which used to be a moist, taut, healthy-looking grape, has shriveled up to become a raisin. The speaker does not emphasize the appearance of the raisin, so the description isn't as significant as an image as it is as a simile. Why compare a dream deferred to a raisin? Like a raisin, a dream deferred shrivels up and turns dark because the sun has baked it. The emphasis on the sun is important because it stresses time-we measure time by the sun's movement. Like the raisin, the dream has been on hold for a long time-consequently, it has transformed into something very different than it once was. Because they look so different, few people would believe that raisins were once grapes unless they had been told. Similarly, a dream that contin ues to be postponed will go through an evolution as well-it won't be the same as the original.

Confucius in the Analects Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Confucius’s counsel and guidance recorded in The Analects instilled wisdom when they were first recorded and continue to provide a thought provoking analysis of life and the checkpoints that guide it. The Master’s commentary on restraint, diligence, decency, and citizenship are well intended and relevant. Politics and the role of government also come under scrutiny as Confucius offers his insights in bettering the organization of power. His proverb-like admonitions use clear examples of everyday life allowing them to be understood and easily digested. Confucius’s own eagerness and willingness to share goodness he experienced makes it easier to apply and practice in one’s own life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the author’s book dealing with virtue he makes an astute observation regarding the need for restraint in speech equally joined with a lack of restraint in action. Confucius relates his good judgment in the following statement: â€Å"The men of old were reserved in speech out of shame lest they should come short in deed.† (Confucius p. 20) Confucius’s declaration seems to stem from possible past experiences with too much talk and too little action. His declarations lead one to believe that the more traditional and conservative ways tend to pilot one to the ideal standard of life. He reemphasized his point when he said, â€Å"The wise man desires to be slow to speak but quick to act.† (Confucius, p. 20)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Along with rest...

The Natural

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Bank of America Essay

In a workplace where multiculturalism exists is a diverse and successful workplace. Diversity helps workers and customers to do business freely because majority of customers are comfortable to communicate with people from their own culture. Pacific City Bank a financial company, which is not a diverse bank, has employees from only one culture and this has made way for customers from the same culture to be comfortable to do business with them. From the higher level C.F.O to the vice president of the company everyone is from the same culture. It is positive fact for the customers from the same culture to feel comfortable to communicate and have safety when doing business, but there are many negative effects of not having diversity in a workplace. When your doing business in a multicultural country, it is not viable to stick to doing business only with one culture, as the potential of the company cannot be reached. Customers from other cultures would not be comfortable to do business, a s they cannot understand their language or might feel out of place to do business. Whereas Wells Fargo another financial company, which is majorly known for diverse workplace has more benefits compared to Pacific city bank. Customers are more comfortable to bank with Wells Fargo, as they feel comfortable with the choices of diverse people available to communicate with. Wells Fargo’s main goal is to make their customers comfortable while banking with them. By hiring diverse employees, their workers will understand basic methods on how to act in front of another employee or customer from different cultures. Wells Fargo respects other cultures and policies. The company’s council including the Chairman, C.E.O and other senior leaders meet quarterly to establish goals and set up directions when partnering with committee in the areas where there is diversity and market segment diversity. They ensure there is supporting infrastructure and inclusion- related behaviors as the â€Å"work of all† versus the â€Å"work of a few†.